Koknese Roman Catholic Church

In 1936, Father P. Rudzītis, the parish priest of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Daugavpils, held a church service in Pļaviņas. For some reason, he later began holding services at Krievkalns School near Koknese. K. Lielbārdis, a vicar from Daugavpils, also travelled here to conduct church services.

Father P. Rudzītis purchased a plot of land in Koknese for the construction of a church. In fact, the origins of the Koknese church construction project date back to Daugavpils, where all the wooden building materials were prepared. They were loaded onto railway wagons and transported to Koknese, where the prepared structures were quickly assembled. The church was built using a timber frame construction method.

In 1939, although the floor had not yet been installed, the Koknese church was consecrated. According to Father Rudzītis, the construction of the church cost 12,000 Latvian lats.

In the 1980s, under the leadership of Father Jānis Zviedrāns and with the support of parish members, major renovation works were carried out. The church was faced with red bricks, and fence pillars were built. The interior walls were newly clad with parquet panels, and new altars were installed. In 2003, artist A. Dobenbergs painted new altar paintings.

For some time, there was only one church operating in Koknese – the Roman Catholic church, where services were also held for Orthodox Christians and Lutherans.

In 1996, the church received a special commemorative award, being recognised as the “Best-Kept Property in Koknese” among public buildings.